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Building a Class repository but I have Namespace issues.

You'll have to forgive the no doubt "simplicity" of this question but please bear with me.

I am currently writing lots of small projects to learn different aspects of how C# and XNA both work. This is pretty much the first major involvement in a class based language that I have really dug into and it is certainly one where I have encountered namespaces and had to take notice of them.

My plan is to build a set of classes that any new project can have access to (gameObjects, cameras etc...), ideally in a central location to all projects. Every class I create has a Namespace associated with it which means every time I try and use it from a different project, I have to add the class to the project and then change the Namespace.

Whilst that works, I am sure many of you are saying "you do what??? are you mad???" and the answer is yes, probably.

So, my question is, how simple is it to set up this central repository of classes and make them accessible to every project, without adding them and renaming the Namespace every time? Can I directly specify a secondary Namespace within a project so that I can access these classes?

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LeeC22

Sounds like you want to create a class library. Add a reference to the library DLL to every project and import the library namespace. Don't use a separate namespace for each class.

Done.

Jim Perry

Thanks Jim,

Just before coming back on here I was having another browse through the C# help and managed to find a bit on Namespaces. Adding a using myClasses to the top of the project solves the problem... I can now maintain a set of generic classes with a myClasses Namespace which is what I was trying to do.

I know even less about library DLL's, perhaps that's something I can look at as I get more used to this system.

Thanks for your help though, like I said, it was probably too simple for some people to answer... we've all got to start somewhere though.

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LeeC22

The only problem with doing this is if you make a change to one of the classes you have to recompile every game that uses it. If the classes are in a class library, you just have to recompile the library. You might want to look into it sooner rather than later.

Jim Perry

The fact that the compiled library classes end up in DLL's is just a detail. From your point of view, all you have to do as add the library project (let's call it "myLibrary") to the solution of whatever you're creating (let's call it "myGame"), and then add a reference in the "myGame" project to the "myLibrary" project. You add a reference by right clicking on the "References" icon for the "myGame" project in the Solution Explorer view. Once you do that, the output for "myLibrary" (which is a DLL), is copied into the "bin" directory for "myGame" when you compile.
Hopefully this all made sense. Once you try it once you'll see how easy it is.

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Derek Nedelman

Jim: Yeah, I discovered that problem last night as I went through some of my projects... I knew there had to be a catch.

Derek: Let me see if understood that....

I create a new 'Class Library' project called myLibrary.

I add my generic classes (gameObject, Camera etc...) to that project (with the myLibrary Namespace in each class file?) and then compile the project which will output a DLL.

In my other projects, I create a reference to the myLibrary Project (not the DLL?).

Is that right?

If it is, do I still need to add a 'using myLibrary' statement to the project or does this technique make the Namespace side of it redundant?

Thanks for your help both of you, I always find myself bogged down with this kind of stuff and I usually end up that frustrated that I give up. I do tend to end up with numerous projects so this will save loads of time and messing about, thank you.

Worms Forts 10/10, MotoGP3 10/10, Worms 10/10, Rogue Trooper 10/10 - Thank you Total Mobile :D

LeeC22

LeeC22 wrote:

I create a new 'Class Library' project called myLibrary.

Yes

LeeC22 wrote:

I add my generic classes (gameObject, Camera etc...) to that project (with the myLibrary Namespace in each class file?) and then compile the project which will output a DLL.

Correct, though if you add the myLibrary project to your game's solution, you don't even have to build the library separately. When you compile, Visual C# internally builds a list of dependencies and will compile whatever projects need compiling, and it will do so in the proper order.

LeeC22 wrote:

In my other projects, I create a reference to the myLibrary Project (not the DLL?).

Since you wrote the library and have the source code and project file, then yes, you would want to add a reference to myLibrary. Before doing this you must add the myLibrary project to your game's solution (the overall "thing" that contains your game project), otherwise there will be no way to add the reference. In cases where the DLL is from a 3rd party and you don't have the source code, then you would add a reference to the DLL directly.

On a side note, we keep saying "DLL". Just so we're entirely clear, we're really talking about .NET assemblies, which happen to be stored in DLL's.

LeeC22 wrote:

...do I still need to add a 'using myLibrary' statement to the project or does this technique make the Namespace side of it redundant?

You still need to add "using myLibrary".

Good luck.

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Derek Nedelman

Derek: Thank you, that's fantastic help.

Hopefully one day I can repay the assistance in kind... probably not code wise but perhaps my other game development knowledge may provide a useful answer some day.

Cheers
Lee

P.s. I did have to do a couple of minor tweaks, a Class Library doesn't contain references to any Microsoft.XNA stuff so I had to add that to the project and then I just had to make my classes public. Everything now works fine so again, thank you for your help.

Worms Forts 10/10, MotoGP3 10/10, Worms 10/10, Rogue Trooper 10/10 - Thank you Total Mobile :D

LeeC22

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